This nonprovisional application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-324752, filed Nov. 9, 2004. The entire disclosure of the prior applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a mounting structure for mounting or accommodating an electro-optical device such as a liquid crystal device used as, for example, a light valve of a liquid crystal projector, the electro-optical device mounted to or accommodated in the mounting structure, an electronic apparatus such as a liquid crystal projector including the electro-optical device, and a magnetic chucking device for transporting the mounting structure.
2. Related Art
When transporting a mounting structure of this type while an electro-optical device is accommodated in the mounting structure of this type, the mounting structure is, for example, secured to a transporter with a mechanical chuck or a vacuum chuck. More specifically, for example, mechanical chucking is performed by picking up the mounting structure with an arm of a robot serving as the transporter and securing it to the transporter.
JP-A-5-134248 and JP-UM-A-5-45654 disclose a technology in which, in a liquid crystal device (which is an example of an electro-optical device), spacers which maintain a gap at a predetermined value between a pair of substrates sandwiching liquid crystals (which are electro-optical materials) are formed of a magnetic material, and the spacers are brought together and disposed at predetermined locations by magnetic force.
However, in the aforementioned mechanical chuck and vacuum chuck, the mechanism for securing the mounting structure is complicated. In addition, the structure of the transporter is complicated. Further, the electro-optical device may become damaged when a relatively strong stress which is exerted upon the mounting structure is transmitted to the electro-optical device.